Friday, March 04, 2005

Video Games

Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich has a bee in his bonnet over kids playing violent video games. First of all, what a great country we live in. Chicago has one of the highest murder rates in the nation and all the governor can do is try to deprive kids the right to try to get to level three in Grand Theft Auto.

It is hard to figure out why Blago has made this a priority - unless he wants moms to think he cares for the "children". Always smell a rat when you hear a public servant spout about how they are addressing "safety concerns" or trying to "protect the children". That is political speak for "we are either going to take your money or your freedoms away".

I have been playing the most violent video games I could get my hands on for my entire life. Not one time have I committed a battery or any other violent crime against another individual. I have always thought they were entertaining and fun. To this day, every day Carl and I play the most sophisticated WW2 simulation that is not classified - we e-mail our turns back and forth. Some of our battles are completely bonkers, men and machines getting blown up, shot dead and shelled constantly. This does not make me feel any more inclined to bomb someone's house.

The bottom line in all this is that kids need parenting. I see no problem letting kids play the games when the kids are old enough to understand that it isn't really cool at all to flamethrow another person. The stupid government, by limiting sales of the video games will not stop one single kid from playing them or getting them. Did you drink underage? Do kids smoke? Of course they do.